Abílio Lopes had a long and distinguished professional career in both the judicial police and Rotary
Rotary Club Estoi Palace International (RCEPI) hosted a memorial dinner for the late Abílio Lopes, past 1960 District Governor. The event was jointly organised by RCEPI, the Abílio Lopes Group of Friends and Estoi School, belonging to the Pinheiro e Rosa Group of Schools.
Abílio Lopes had a long and distinguished professional career in both the judicial police (PJ) and Rotary.
He joined Rotary in 2009 and, during his time, took on many roles culminating in becoming District Governor in 2016-17. He and his wife Isabel were passionate about encouraging youth projects and introducing young people to Rotary. They helped to set up both Interact and Rotaract Clubs in Tavira, where they both belonged to the Rotary Club of Tavira.
The dinner was held at Escola Básica Poeta Emiliano da Costa in Estoi. The catering students prepared and served a “delicious” three-course meal for the guests present.
Five institutions involved in youth projects gave brief presentations and a vote followed to allocate funds raised from the evening to the winning organisation. Presentations were made by:
- Centro de Bem-Estar Social Senhora de Fátima de Olhão, which helps to protect young girls whose home lives have become difficult.
- Lar de Crianças Bom Samaritano, which runs a home in Alvor (Portimão) to support children whose families do not have the resources or ability to raise and protect them.
- Associação de Proteção à Rapariga e à Familia in Faro, which works with young girls and their families particularly where domestic violence is an issue.
- Lar de Jovens Nossa Senhora do Carmo, based in Lagos, which works with young people to integrate them into society and help with education.
- Associação Ser Igual in Tavira, which assists young people with mental and physical disabilities to be treated as equals.
The evening raised €1,500 and the winner, by one vote, was Associação Ser Igual. This organisation had been proposed by the Interact and Rotaract Clubs of Tavira which had meant so much to Abílio.
“Past District Governor Abilio Lopes is much missed but the work he cared so much about continues,” said RCEPI.
If you would like to find out how Rotary helps the community, email info@rotaryestoipalace.org or visit www.rotaryestoipalace.org
